


I always knew I'd meet my soulmate undercover in the Dominican Republic

by cuttysark



Category: Original Work
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Undercover, Undercover as a Couple, two men with the emotional range of microwaved fish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 14:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18780349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuttysark/pseuds/cuttysark
Summary: It wasn't that Thomson wasn't capable -hell, he was probably the most capable guy on the team besides Ramírez himself when it came to this - it was just... Diego didn't exactly want to pretend to date Thomson. That is, he didn't want topretend.Diego may have braved wars, but he's not sure he's brave enough to just ask a guy out.





	I always knew I'd meet my soulmate undercover in the Dominican Republic

**Author's Note:**

> first post! idk when this will be updated but like... enjoy my dumb boys
> 
> .....yes the title is a reference to "you"

Diego would be lying if he said he wasn’t apprehensive about this whole thing. Thomson wasn’t supposed to be on this mission, originally. When they’d discussed it in briefing, the team had been quick to suggest Thomson or Campos. Diego knew they needed someone attractive, adaptable, with people skills and good intuition. Most importantly, the mission needed someone _charming_. 

The brief was one of the less straightforward ones they’ve had. The mark had had MEDICO’s eyes on him for heading a human and drug trafficking ring for weeks, but he’d kept himself closed to any opportunities for interception or infiltration. Until now, at least, when the Intelligence team had picked up on plans for him to take his first summer holiday to the sunny beaches of the Dominican Republic. The intelligence team that had been monitoring their mark had picked up on a few interesting habits and _one very_ particular kink.

The guy had a thing for… well, voyeurism. More specifically, watching couples fuck. Their sources said it was something about the chemistry. Most of the team just thought it was fucking weird. 

So there was the rub. Whoever accompanied Diego was going to have to pretend to be his boyfriend. They needed to get close to the mark, close enough that he'd be _interested_ in them. Diego was heading the mission; he had no choice but to go, but something about spending two weeks pretending to be in a relationship with _Thomson_ was… equal parts terrifying, enticing, and a very _very_ bad idea.

_Campos is more experienced_ , had been Thomson's explanation when he'd been reluctant to take the position. 

“Arthur’s prettier,” someone piped up from the corner. Diego’s pretty sure it was O’Reilly. “Need something to counter the commander’s ugly mug.”

She got a short round of laughs. “If you’re not careful, it’ll be this ugly mug you’re seeing for extra drills tomorrow,” Diego replied, mostly joking. The team tittered and O’Reilly held her hands up in surrender. 

“I might be an older agent,” Campos interrupted. “But Thomson’s better at the people side of things. If it was an infiltration job, I could see why I’d be the first choice, but my track record with honeypot missions isn’t as clean.”

“It could be a good opportunity for training-” Diego started.

“We are all aware that this job is too important to use as a _training exercise_ , Commander,” Campos interrupted, raising a stern eyebrow. “Besides, look at the guy. He looks like a fucking underwear model.”

Thomson blushed and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Your call, Ramírez.”

In the end, Ramírez had chickened out of the obvious choice and chosen Campos for self-preservation. It wasn’t that Thomson wasn’t capable - hell, he was probably the most capable guy on the team besides Ramírez himself when it came to this - it was just… Diego didn’t exactly want to pretend to date Thomson. That is, that he didn’t want to _pretend_. And, like the decorated soldier he was, Diego was too _scared_ that he’d put too much of himself into it and one or both of them would get hurt.

It was too much to risk. He was crossing a boundary already.

_

So when Arthur steps into the transport bay for their flight to the Dominican Republic with a bag over his shoulder and a suitcase behind him, Diego’s a little confused.

“Thomson, you’re not on this mission,” he reminds, a little more bluntly than he meant it.

Thomson just looks blankly at him. “Campos is out. I thought you knew that I was taking his place.”

“What happened?”

“Family emergency.”

Diego can’t catch the huff before he does it. “We can still scrub the mission.”

“I know the brief inside and out, sir,” Arthur says, folding into himself. “I mean, it’s important, right? Don’t know when we’re going to get another opening…” Thomson’s right and Diego knows it, of course he does, but the kid’s still looking at him like a kicked puppy. “I can do it. I got top marks in persuasion and socialisation training, and-”

“It’s not you. I know you’re perfectly capable of this,” Diego says hurriedly, because Thomson’s starting to break his heart with how desperately he’s trying to convince the commander that he’s good enough. Diego _knows_ that he’s good enough.

Arthur doesn't look convinced at all. "We can scrub the mission if it's what you want, sir," he says. Diego watches his shoulders sag a little and wonders if Arthur suspects something.

Diego shakes his head and turns towards the plane. "You're right. I know you'll be good at this," he says, because he means it, although Arthur doesn't look wholly convinced. 

_

When they step off the plane in the Dominican Republic, Arthur's immediate response is a bone-deep groan and a complaint about the heat. 

"At least you get all of the luxuries of a holiday. Some of us have to wear a suit of metal _and_ work while they're here," Kisaaka hums, holding up his helmet briefly. He's here officially-unofficially, staying on base with Sebastian for the next two weeks to run intel ops and do any sneaking about that Diego and Arthur might not get chance to do. 

"We _will_ be working," Arthur says, shoving Kisaaka's shoulder in an amicable way that Diego's never seen anyone else risk nor Kisaaka allow from anyone else. 

"Angling for someone to watch you fuck the commander isn't _working_ , Arthur." 

At that, Arthur goes a little stiff. He recovers quickly, but Diego catches it anyway. The conversion fizzles out, but the tension from Arthur doesn't wholly dissipate even when the rest of the small strike team are left behind at their field base (a small villa on the outskirts of town) and Diego and Arthur are driving towards their hotel.

"Nervous?" Diego asks. Thomson's leg is bouncing erratically, but that's not exactly unusual.

The agent shrugs. "A little. There's a lot riding on this and I…"

"You?" Ramírez probes gently.

"I don't have any real-life experience with dating. Little worried about acting natural."

“Ah. Well, follow my lead. It can’t be that hard to pretend you’re into me, right?”

There’s a pregnant pause where Arthur stares hard out of the opposite window. “Doubt it will be,” he mutters at length. Diego glances towards him, but Arthur’s still facing the opposite way, and Diego can’t tell whether the flush on his face is the heat or not. 

_

Arthur whistles low when they get to the resort. “This is some rich people shit,” he whispers as they climb out of the car. 

Diego grins, shoving a bag at Arthur. “Don’t look so surprised. We’re the rich people.”

He laughs and slings the bag over his shoulder. “Maybe my handsome boyfriend is the rich people.”

“Oh, you think I’m handsome?” Diego teases.

“Who doesn’t?”

Diego’s about to reply when the valet arrives and he snaps into something more natural. They converse briefly in Spanish and Diego tosses him the keys and gestures for Arthur to follow him. 

Arthur's glad that the conversation seems to have been forgotten by the time they walk into the lobby. The place is _huge_ in a way Diego figures Arthur has never seen before. Diego has, of course, on one mission or another, and he's become used to the high ceilings and white marble. 

What he's not used to is the excitement in Arthur's eyes when he looks at Diego with a toothy grin. " _Leo,_ " he breathes, and Diego wishes he was listening to his real name in that tone. "It's amazing." 

"You think?" And Diego can't help but grin back, especially when Arthur takes his hand and plants a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes! Wow…"

The receptionist is giving them a look that's a little too knowing for Diego's liking as she pushes across the check-in forms for him to fill in, but Arthur seems mostly ignorant to it. "Your treat, I presume?" She asks in prettily accented English. 

"Well-" Diego starts, but Arthur jumps in excitedly before he can get anything out.

"It's my _birthday_ treat. He said he had something special planned but I didn't know it was… _this._ " He sounds just as much in awe as he looks, and when he looks at Diego with shining eyes like he was really in love, Diego's chest flutters painfully.

"That's…"

"Romantic. I know he's got the mean face, but he's such a hopeless romantic at heart."

"And when you say it's your birthday…"

"Twenty-first," Arthur supplies helpfully, still playing dumb to her cynical frown. At least, Diego hopes he's playing dumb.

She hums disapprovingly and pulls the completed forms towards her. "So, Martinez, double room… This says you're here for two weeks, all-inclusive, and-" the pen she's using to point to each detail skitters to a stop over Diego's date of birth.

"Problem?" Diego asks lightly as Arthur tucks himself into the commander's side. They both know fine well that the maths is telling her that Diego is twelve years Arthur's elder. Diego's chest feels tight because she's right that it's weird and that detail isn't falsified.

"No! No problem. Passport?"

Diego slides it over. It's an infallible copy of a real passport. 

"Okay. Here are your two key cards; breakfast is 6 AM to 11 AM every morning, and there's 24-hour room service. Enjoy your stay." She doesn't seem as enthused as she could. Arthur doesn't seem fazed as he grins dopily at her anyway.

_ 

The room is just as impressive as the foyer had been. Arthur drops their bag on the bed and busies himself being excited about their fancy bathtub and the view from the balcony while Diego checks over the room for bugs. It's unlikely that anyone will know that they're there, but in their line of work, they can't be too safe.

"Clear," he tells Arthur sometime later, stepping onto the balcony behind him.

"This place is ridiculous," Arthur replies, not even turning to acknowledge the commander.

"Rich people sure do love extravagance."

There's a pause where Diego leans on the railing beside Arthur and looks out over the sea. “How are you feeling now?” Diego asks gently. “You did well down there.”

Arthur shrugs. “Thank you, sir. Suppose I’m feeling jet-lagged.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know it’s not. I’m still nervous, y’know, in a different way than usual.” Arthur looks pointedly out towards the water, but Diego knows that Arthur’s aware that Diego’s watching him. “This is…”

“You did something similar with Corleone a couple months back,” Diego points out. 

“Well- that was different,” Arthur fills in hastily.

“How so?”

“That… That was one night, and there wasn’t anything so important riding on it, and I didn’t have to fuck anybody, and Corleone is- well, he’s Corleone.” He sounds frustrated, working his hands through his mussed hair. Diego isn’t really sure what that last part is getting at, and he won’t let himself hope for what Arthur is very unlikely to be hinting at.

“You don’t have to have sex with anyone, Thomson.”

“If the mission necessitates-”

“No, you _don’t_ have to do anything you don’t want to. Especially not that.”

Arthur breathes out slowly. “It’s not…” he begins, stunted. “It’s not that I’m _averse_ to it. I just… Listen, I don’t think that virginity is some big, important thing. But I don’t know if I want my first time to be on the clock, in front of some stranger who runs a human trafficking ring.”

It all comes out at once, in one big rush of breath like Arthur has to say it right then or he won’t say it at all. 

“It’s not _me?_ ” The words are out of Diego’s mouth before he can stop himself.

Arthur frowns lightly, just enough to create a little crease between his brows that Diego wants to kiss. “No. Would it matter if you were the issue any more than it matters if anything else is the issue?”

“Sure,” Diego starts. He pauses, and Arthur looks at him expectantly until he goes on. “Look, if being intimate and romantic for the first time is what’s worrying you, then we can mitigate that before anything happens with the mark.”

Arthur blinks at him. “You’re… Are you offering to have sex with me?”

Diego laughs uncomfortably. "Yes. I suppose so. I know I wouldn't be your first choice for it, but for the sake of it being something safe, private, and… Well, _good_ , I don't think I'm a bad pick."

"Oh, you think that much of yourself?" Arthur jibes, giving Diego a lopsided smile that makes him a little less worried. "I'll consider it. As long as you promise that you're actually comfortable doing this and it isn't just… y'know, obligation." He waves his hand in a loose gesture.

"It's not going to be a chore to sleep with _you_ , if that's what you're worried about," Diego replies in a surprisingly steady voice. He wonders how much of his entirely-inappropriate crush is showing and decides that it's probably far too much. He’s trying not to seem too desperate, either, but figures he might be missing the mark there, too.

“Well,” Arthur breathes, pushing back off the railing. “I’m going to get some rest. Sleep off this jetlag and all.” 

Diego nods. The sun is starting to dip beneath the horizon, glittering over the calm waves of the ocean. “I’m going to check in with Kotts and Miller before I get my head down for the night,” the commander replies and catches Arthur’s arm as he passes. 

“Uh?” Arthur grunts. “You want me to take the sofa tonight?”

“What? No. The bed’s huge.”

Arthur blinks. “Sure.” He looks pointedly at where Diego is still holding his elbow, so Diego just says fuck it and tilts Arthur’s chin up with his other hand and kisses him. 

Arthur makes a little surprised noise but leans into it anyway. His lips are softer than Diego had expected, and his hands are grasping at Diego’s hips and fisting into his t-shirt. When they part, Arthur’s hands stay where they are.

“Figure we should get the physical stuff out the way so we’re not surprised by it in public, right?” Diego shrugs, but it sounds like a weak excuse even to him.

“Makes sense,” Arthur says. “No boundaries for two weeks, huh?” 

“Oh! I mean, well. Unless you want them? But undercover might be easier if we’re not transitioning back-and-forth the whole time, right?” 

“You’re right.” Arthur grins at him. “I love a good cuddle.”

Diego barks a laugh and herds them back inside, keeping a hand on the small of Arthur’s back, hinting at curling his fingers around his waist.

 

*

Back at the field base, Kisaaka and Sebastian are placing bets on how many days it’ll be before Diego and Arthur hook up.

“I mean, they’ve got two weeks, it can’t be that quick. You really think four days?” Sebastian raises a sceptical eyebrow and settles back into the ratty couch.

Kisaaka nods sagely. His helmet is resting on the table, and Sebastian’s more or less enjoying Kisaaka looking a little more human and a little less weapon-like than usual. “They’ve been giving each other bedroom eyes for months. Thomson already told me that he’s worried about taking Campos’ place because he thinks Ramírez will sniff out his little crush. I’ll be surprised if they _last_ four days, and I’m willing to put money on the fact that they’ll probably kiss in private - y'know, out of character - before then.”

“How are we even going to confirm any of this?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Arthur _talks._ ”

“That’s… Yeah, I think that’s the most terrifying thing you’ve ever said.”

There’s a pause before they break down into laughter. It’s cut short by the shrill ringing of their tablet: a call from the boss.

The commander looks softer, more relaxed than usual when the video loads up. The t-shirt he's wearing is loose and definitely not what he was wearing when they separated earlier.

"Do we still have to salute if it's just a video feed?" Kisaaka pipes up.

"You don't salute when it's _not_ a video feed, Kotts," is the commander's reply. He's smiling, though, just barely. He looks up at something behind the camera and smiles, amused. Kisaaka nudges Sebastian’s leg with his own. “How’s the safehouse?”

“It’s fine. Better than some of the shitholes I’ve seen on Covert missions,” Sebastian says. 

“Well, feel free to tell your buddies in Defence that we’re happy to take their fancy high-budget safehouses any time they’re ready to share,” Diego grumbles. It’s no secret that covert ops are neglected when it comes to budget allowances. “Is it at least stocked for emergencies?”

He hates that he has to ask that damn question, but too many of his team have been caught in tight spots without the supplies they need. They haven’t lost an agent yet, but Diego fears that it’s just a matter of time.

“Seems to be,” Sebastian says, and Kisaaka nods along. “We’ll make note of anything that’s missing.”

Neither Sebastian nor Kisaaka are technically Diego’s agents, but they’re still good agents with good worth ethic that Diego trusts intrinsically. Even Kisaaka, despite his broody, sometimes aggressive brand of mysteriousness. 

“Thank you,” Diego hums, but he’s still distracted by something out of shot. Whatever it is is making it difficult for him to suppress a smile.

“What are you looking at, Commander?” Kisaaka pries, not quite able to keep the amusement out of his voice. There’s some shuffling off screen before Arthur comes into view, shirtless, and leans on Diego’s shoulder. “Ah, yeah, I can see why that would’ve been a distraction.”

“Shut up, Kotts,” Diego grumbles. 

“Just let me get this straight,” the cyborg starts, drawing eye rolls from both of the men on the video feed. “Since we left you, Arthur’s somehow ended up half-dressed, and you’ve changed your clothes.”

“...Correct,” Diego sighs.

“Correct,” Kisaaka echoes. Sebastian snorts indelicately beside him. “Well, don’t let us distract you from your very important _mission_ business. Check in tomorrow when you get chance; Sebastian’s going to scout the town you’re in and I’m going to stay hidden, as always.”

Diego nods. “We want eyes on our mark tomorrow, ready for contact on Thursday. Report back tomorrow night.”

“Understood. Oh, and Commander?” Kisaaka says, cybernetic finger hovering over the disconnect button.

“Hm?”

“Be gentle with Arthur, won’t you?”

Arthur makes a scandalised sound and Diego flips them off before he hangs up.


End file.
